Dreaming of the Bones (Duncan Kincaid/Gemma James Novels)

SUMMARY: It is the call Scotland Yard Superintendent Duncan Kincaid never expectedand one he certainly doesn't want. Victoria, his ex-wife, who walked out without an explanation more than a decade ago, asks him to look into the suicide of local poet, Lydia Brookea case that's been officially closed for five years. The troubled young writer's death, Victoria claims, might well have been murder. No one is more surprised than Kincaid himself when he agrees to investigatenot even his partner and lover, Sergeant Gemma James. But it's a second death that raises the stakes and plunges Kincaid and James into a labyrinth of dark lies and lethal secrets that stretches all the way back through the twentieth centurya death that most assuredly is murder, one that has altered Duncan Kincaid's world forever. Python function terminated unexpectedly [Errno 9] Bad file descriptor (Error Code: 1)

it Is The Call Scotland Yard Superintendent Duncan Kincaid Never Expected—and One He Certainly Doesn't Want. Victoria, His Ex-wife, Who Walked Out Without An Explanation More Than A Decade Ago, Asks Him To Look Into The Suicide Of Local Poet, Lydia Brooke—a Case That's Been Officially Closed For Five Years. The Troubled Young Writer's Death, Victoria Claims, Might Well Have Been Murder.

no One Is More Surprised Than Kincaid Himself When He Agrees To Investigate—not Even His Partner And Lover, Sergeant Gemma James. But It's A Second Death That Raises The Stakes And Plunges Kincaid And James Into A Labyrinth Of Dark Lies And Lethal Secrets That Stretches All The Way Back Through The Twentieth Century—a Death That Most Assuredly is Murder, One That Has Altered Duncan Kincaid's World Forever.

publishers Weekly

crombie's English Procedural Series Featuring Scotland Yard's Duncan Kincaid And Gemma James (mourn Not Your Dead, 1996, Etc.) Takes A Giant Leap Forward With This Haunting Mystery Set Among Cambridge Literary Types. Vic Mcclellan, Duncan's Ex-wife And A Member Of The English Faculty At Cambridge, Is Writing A Biography Of Lydia Brooke, A Cambridge Poet Whose Death Five Years Earlier Was Attributed To Suicide. Convinced That Lydia Didn't Kill Herself, Vic Asks Duncan To Look Into The Poet's Death. Estranged From Vic Since She Left Him 12 Years Ago, Duncan Is At First Unwilling To Help. But Vic's Literary Evidence And A Brief Look At The Local Police Records Soon Convince Him And Gemma, Who's His Lover As Well As His Partner, That There's Something Fishy About Lydia's Demise. Having Reconciled With Vic And Been Charmed By Her Son, Kit, Duncan Is Devastated When She Is Murdered. Assisted By Gemma, He Sets Out On A Personal Crusade To Find The Killer. Their Investigation Leads To Lydia's Circle Of Cambridge Friends In The 1960s: Nathan, Now On The Botany Faculty; Darcy, A Colleague Of Vic's On The English Faculty; Daphne, Headmistress Of A Girls' School; And Adam, An Anglican Priest. It's Gemma, Through Close Reading Of A Long-lost Poem By Lydia, Who Uncovers The Crucial Secret. As Crombie Continues To Explore Duncan And Gemma's Complicated Relationship, She Adds A Deeper Resonance In The Form Of Duncan's Feelings For Vic And Kit. This Is The Best Book In An Already Accomplished Series. Crombie Excels At Investing Her Mysteries With Rich Characterization And A Sophisticated Wash Of Illuminating Feminism. (oct.)

"Deborah Crombie might be the most British of American mystery novelists," said an astute reviewer in reference to Mourn Not Your Dead , the fourth book in her excellent series about Duncan Kincaid, an inoffensively upper-class Scotland Yard superintendent, and Sergeant Gemma James, his rougher-edged partner and lover. In addition to her finely tuned ear for the subtler nuances of Britspeak, Crombie--a resident of Richardson, Texas--achieves a rare and therefore enviable balance between the details of her characters' private lives and the plot of each particular book. That delicate balance is especially welcome in Dreaming of the Bones , when Kincaid's former wife, Dr. Victoria McClellan, threatens his personal and professional equanimity. A Cambridge don, Vic has been writing a biography of poet Lydia Brooke, who claimed kinship to the distinguished World War I bard Rupert Brooke, and whose suicide five years before is now beginning to appear suspiciously like murder. The Scotland Yard duo of Duncan Kincaid and Gemma James, who are investigating the murder of a woman poet, discover a clue in her poetry. A look at a Cambridge literary set. By the author of Mourn Not Your Dead.